Chapter 97

The players learn that their final placements are set. Watching the results post in the assembly hall, Isagi is glad that Bachira picked Team A to line up beside him, and surprised that Reo chose Team C to stand with Nagi. The rules are spelled out: five matches, six-hour gaps between them, and no chance to scout the other games. With participants pulled at random, Nijiro Nanase, Yo Hiori, and Isagi are drawn for Team A's opener, while Kyohei Shiguma, Kairu Saramadara, and Hyoma Chigiri get the call for Team B.

Heading down the tunnel, Isagi reflects that Hiori and Nanase are at once his allies and his rivals. Nanase, buzzing with nerves, blurts out an unfamiliar phrase from his home region and apologizes for the dialect before deciding to treat the older Isagi as his senior. The relaxed introductions leave Isagi feeling refreshed, glad to meet players who are not out for blood. Hiori, revealing his Kyoto roots, plays along with Nanase's teasing, and the three share a laugh as they reach the pitch. There Shido dismisses them as small-fry interns and Rin registers surprise at seeing Isagi, while Team B arrives with Karasu happily leaving the defending to others. As the whistle nears, Rin readies a pass to Shido for the kickoff.

The tryout lineups are announced, with Nanase, Hiori, and Isagi randomly selected for Team A's first game. Shiguma, Saramadara, and Chigiri are chosen for Team B's opening match.

The chapter published in Japan on August 26, 2020 and runs twenty pages, third in collected volume twelve and ninety-seventh overall. Its material spans the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth anime episodes. It falls between Chapter 96 and Chapter 98.